The old girl won't start....ish

[Caretta]

She won't start...any ideas?

Wife rang saying it wouldn't start and she was stuck at the supermarket - through freak chance my bus happened to be going past said supermarket on the way home...got to her, fiddled with the shifter a bit, somehow she started...

Got her home and now nothing...

Electrics work fine, everything is hunky dory - turn key and nothing happens at all, not even an attempt from the old girl to wake up

Would think it was a fuel problem but there's no life from the starter motor at all - got the AA coming out but wondering if they are going to be able to deal with her at all...

Ideas on a postcard?

[Gasy]

Are the lights lighting up on dash
Sounds like a stuck starter

[New Forest Terrier]

Had a version of this problem last year before Christmas. It started when the Bongo refused to start in Lidls car park. The gear lever button that allows you to get it out of park was stuck and the Bongo, convinced it was in gear was doing absolutely nothing. RAC man turned up gave it a thump on the side of the gear lever which persuaded it that it was actually in park. The problem seemed solved but on getting home the key could not be removed.

The cause of this was that the ignition, park button on gear stick and and parking brake are linked via a cable. This is probably either displaced or damaged at the gear lever or ignition end. It is totally mechanical on my 95, cable pulls levers. If this is not pulling the correct bits Bongo will not start, thinking it is in gear rather than park or it will not allow the key out of the ignition.

To get at the gear lever end take of the center console and then you can see the underside of the gear lever. There are two cables, thick one on the passenger side for the gear change, thin one on the drivers side. This is the one to the ignition which is the cable causing all the trouble. It ends in two levers, the top one is connected to the button that releases the gear lever. Pull this lever and in my case normal service was restored, until it jammed again. To get better access there is a trianglar panel in the drivers footwell that can be pulled off to give a fuller view of the connections at the gear lever end.

Sorting out the cable will cure the problem. If the cable is damaged the Bongo runs fine without it, just no automatic handbrake in park.

In my case the cable was snagging somewhere along its length and the cure was a second hand cable as replacement. I also started using the spare Bongo ignition key as the original was very worn.

[Bob]

Basics (I've been caught) it is in Neutral or Park?

Possibly the 'Inhibit' thinks it is in gear when not as you say fiddling with the shifter had an effect.

[al & chris]

Could be stuck solenoid if there is just a click on turning key. Ours went, can get a cheap repair kit for them. Easy to do.

[Caretta]

Well the guy from the AA has been and give and she's no better...

He's recommended ADS Automotive in Ashton

Hey ho

Thanks for the suggestions... I'll let you know how it works out

[Bob]

That's where I go localy.

[Simon Jones]

Silly question but do you have any form of immobiliser fitted? If it were faulty it could prevent it starting. I've watched a neighbour try and fail to start his new works van as he'd forgotten to put the fob into the socket on the dashboard .

[Caretta]

It was actually the gear selector lever (the thick one rather than the thin one mentioned earlier)

Replaced by ADS and working now

Thanks for the help people!

[Bob]

Result.